First Ward Park officially opens

Charlotte has a new public gem in its crown with the formal dedication of the county’s First Ward Park. Located between East Seventh and Ninth streets, the four-acre park links UNC Charlotte Center City with ImaginOn as part of an educational and cultural district.

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, along with other local officials and community leaders, attended the dedication ceremony hosted by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department. Throughout the day, park attendees could listen to music and receive a tour.

“It’s great to see so many friendly faces here who have enabled this vision to become reality,” said Dubois. “It has been a long time coming but, as you can see from the results, it was well worth it. Won’t this be a great place to celebrate the Panthers winning the Super Bowl?”

First Ward Park is a joint partnership between Levine Properties, UNC Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte. County manager Dena Diorio praised the collaborative efforts to create the park, and developer Daniel Levine remarked that “UNC Charlotte was a terrific partner with us.”

UNC Charlotte Center City is located at the intersection of Brevard and Ninth streets with convenient access to the current CATS Blue Line. When light rail extends to the University’s main campus in summer 2017, students, faculty and staff will have easy access to First Ward Park and the other cultural and education offerings in close proximity, such as ImaginOn and the Levine Museum of the New South.

Amenities in First Ward Park include an open lawn for recreational play and festivals, an interactive fountain and plaza, an outdoor dining area, garden walk, overlook terrace, flower beds and restrooms.

UNC Charlotte Center City houses a number of the University’s outstanding graduate programs, including the Belk College of Business MBA program, the Urban Education Collaborative in the College of Education and the Urban Design program within the College of Arts + Architecture. More than 1,800 students attend classes in the facility each week. Continuing education also is housed at UNC Charlotte Center City, offering nearly 300 non-credit programs that enroll 4,800 individuals.

In addition, UNC Charlotte Center City has hosted more than 500 University and community events that have attracted 30,000 visitors to the building.

“We knew we wanted to build an iconic structure to anchor our presence in First Ward. But we also knew that we wanted to create a link to the rest of Center City and, indeed, the rest of the larger community,” said Dubois. “We look forward to a park filled with 49ers for years to come.”